Association of Facilitators

🔄 Don’t miss out on shaping the future of our Members Area! A quick reminder about the Member Feedback Survey, which is now live. Your voice matters, and this is your chance to help us enhance the resources, networking opportunities, and features that support your facilitation journey. ⏳ The survey closes on January 10th—check out the newsletter we sent a few weeks ago for the details and the survey link and reach out to us with any questions. Let’s build an even better Members Area—together. 💬 #Facilitation #Feedback #Community #AssociationOfFacilitators

Congratulations to our long-standing friend and supporter, Robin Shohet, on the publication of a new book edited by him with a foreword by Charlotte Sills: Supervision as Spiritual Practice. 📖 It was a pleasure to meet Robin, Joan and several of the students of the CSTD Diploma who contributed chapters at yesterday’s book launch, and we are looking forward to a good Christmas read! 📖 🎄 It was also lovely to see Professor Charlotte Sills after so many years. Hopefully see you all again very soon!   #supervision #cstdlondon #metanoia #booklaunch

📣 New Venue Announcement! We’re excited to share that our Certificate of Facilitation Skills program will now take place at the beautiful Henley Business School, at the Greenlands Campus in Henley-on-Thames. This five-day program, launching in January 2025, is the perfect next step for accredited Level 1 facilitators looking to deepen their skills and navigate advanced challenges like group dynamics, power, and conflict. 📅 Dates: January 20th and 21st, February 24th and 25th, Accreditation on March 31st. 📍 Location: Henley Business School, Greenlands Campus, Henley-on-Thames. We still have some spaces remaining on this course, so register soon! For more details and to apply, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dkbbs8eF or email us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to see you there! #Facilitation #ProfessionalDevelopment #HenleyBusinessSchool #FacilitatorTraining

What’s Coming Up in Early 2025 🔽 As we look forward to the new year, we’re excited to share the first events in our 2025 calendar! These sessions are crafted to help facilitators deepen their skills and enhance their professional journey. 📆 20-21 January: Certificate in Facilitation Skills – Organisational Impact Module This opening module in our five-day programme is designed for those ready to take their facilitation to the next level, focusing on broader organisational impact. 📆 30 January: Online Seminar – Interventions and Traps: The “6-Cat” Model Join us to explore the Six Category Intervention Analysis model—perfect for facilitators looking to sharpen their intervention skills. 📆 17 March: Learning Day – Introduction to Working with Constellations Held at Highfield Park, this in-person session offers an insightful look at using Constellations to work with group dynamics. For more details or to register, visit our events calendar: https://lnkd.in/eUzCm3kE We look forward to starting the new year with you! #AssociationOfFacilitators #Facilitation #ProfessionalDevelopment #WhatsOn #Events

Huge Congratulations to Rehana Begum, Assoc CIPD, PGCERT, Claire Castell (Brown), Penelope Tollitt, Caroline O'Donnell and Sara Le Turcq on becoming our newest group of accredited facilitators. 👏 Your peer work, and how you rattled, shaked and stood by each other’s practice, was a joy to witness. Good luck with the book group/cake/coffee club! 📖 ☕   We feel sure your clients and organisations will benefit from your enhanced skills and confidence, and you all have exciting plans – we wish you well! Keep in touch. ✨ #FacilitatorAccreditation #Facilitators #Community #ProfessionalDevelopment #Training #Congratulations

Building on last week’s post where we mentioned supervision... 🌱 Supervision is an invaluable space for facilitators to deepen skills, manage well-being, and stay connected to effective practice. It offers dedicated time to reflect on challenging sessions, review group dynamics, and work on your professional development goals, especially if you’re working toward accreditation. ✨ What to Look for in a Supervisor A great supervisor can make all the difference. Qualities like empathy, insight, and collaborative feedback are essential to finding the right fit. What do you think makes a good supervisor? 💭 Share your thoughts below 👇 📅 2025 Supervision Options You can book one-to-one sessions year-round or join group supervision to engage with peers. Learn more about supervision options and support at AoF here: https://lnkd.in/exuv9yPj #FacilitatorSupport #Supervision #ProfessionalDevelopment #AoF

🔔 Calling all Members: Help shape the future of our members area🔔 We’re looking to make our Members Area even better and we need your input. Check out our latest Members newsletter for a chance to take our Member Feedback Survey. Your insights will help us tailor resources, enhance networking, and develop features that support your facilitation practice. Complete the survey by January 10th—details and the survey link are in the newsletter we sent yesterday. This survey builds on our 2023 survey which you can read more about on our website. Read more about the previous survey findings here: https://lnkd.in/eW2PiMj5 Thank you for helping us grow together! #Facilitation #Feedback #Community #AssociationOfFacilitators

Thank you to everyone who joined our virtual catch-up last week! 🌟 It’s always inspiring to see facilitators come together to share, support, and recharge. Our next catch-up won’t be until April 22nd, 2025—so mark your calendars! In the meantime, remember you don’t have to wait until April to connect with us. We’re here year-round to support you with: 💬 One-to-One Supervision Sessions: Available online or in-person, these sessions offer a space to reflect, troubleshoot, and develop your practice. Members enjoy discounted rates, and Accredited and Affiliate Members receive one free session per year. 👥 Group Supervision: For those looking to connect in a group environment, group supervision provides a dynamic setting to explore issues relevant to group facilitation. 🔗 More details on these services can be found on the website, or feel free to reach out to the team to discuss what might work best for you. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/exuv9yPj Until our next meet-up in April, we’re here to help in any way we can. #CommunitySupport #Facilitation #Supervision #AssociationOfFacilitators

Recently, we’ve found ourselves recommending Steve Hearsum’s book “No Silver Bullet: Bursting the Bubble on the Organisational Quick Fix”. Steve’s book describes the ‘myth of fixability’ and the dangers of espousing theories and selling solutions. Vitally, the relationship between change and feelings of shame, anxiety, fear are explored – for facilitators and group participants, as well as those who engage consultants.  It also (helpfully/incidentally) offers an overview and critique of key theories/theoreticians in the field of leadership development including Group Dynamics, Organisational Development, Change Management. Do have a read 📖 https://lnkd.in/eQPRGYvz And for those looking for Group Supervision, Steve has a group starting in January. https://lnkd.in/eThHejbW #LeadershipDevelopment #Facilitation #ProfessionalReading #OrganisationalDevelopment #ChangeManagement

Reminder: Virtual Catch-Up Tomorrow! Don’t forget to join us tomorrow for an informal Virtual Catch-Up session! This is a relaxed, drop-in opportunity to connect with fellow facilitators, share experiences, and recharge together. Bring your lunch, say hi, and stay as long as you’d like—there’s no fixed agenda, just an open space to reconnect. Key Details: 📅 Date: 19th November 🕧 Time: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm 💻 Online - Visit the event page to find out more and email us at [email protected] to book. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2Sb8fYb Whether you’re a regular or joining us for the first time, we’d love to see you there! #VirtualCatchUp #Facilitation #Community #AssociationOfFacilitators